Bexleyheath’s housing affordability

A Bexleyheath homeowner emailed me last week, following my article posted in the Bexleyheath Property Blog about the change in attitude to renting by the youngsters of Bexleyheath and how they thought it was too expensive for first time buyers to buy in Bexley Borough.  Some may have also seen a recent Facebook comment on one of my articles left by a very pleasant, but understandably concerned, lady.

There can be no doubt that buy to let landlords have played their part in driving up property values in Bexley Borough (and the UK) and from that made housing less affordable for the 20 and 30 somethings.

The email suggested that the Bank of England (BoE) should be tasked to control house price inflation in the same way as the BoE controls inflation.  The BoE has a target for the annual inflation rate of the Consumer Prices Index of 2%, whilst it is also required to support the Government’s economic policy, including its objectives for growth and employment.  So, should BoE be charged with containing buy to let housing market, by possibly changing the rules on the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio’s?

So, let’s look at how affordable Bexleyheath is?  The best measure of the affordability of housing is the ratio of Bexleyheath Property Prices to Bexleyheath Average Wages, (the higher the ratio, the less affordable properties are).   (i.e. looking at the table below, for example in 2014, the average value of a Bexleyheath property was 8.53 times higher than the average annual wage in Bexleyheath).

1998	2000	2002	2004	2006	2008	2010	2012	2014	2016 (EST)
4.17	4.88	6.30	8.69	7.68	7.58	7.63	7.38	8.53	11.12

This deterioration in affordability of property in Bexleyheath over the last couple of years has been one of the reasons why the younger generation is deciding more and more to rent instead of buy their own house. 

... but it’s not the only reason.

A quick look on Money Supermarket today found 169 lenders prepared to offer 75% LTV Buy to let Mortgages and none at 85% LTV.  Lenders have self-imposed a high level of entry for buy to let landlords (i.e. putting down at least 25% of the purchase price in cash).  The BoE don’t need to meddle there!  Also, the Tories have certainly done lots to level the playing field in favour of first time buyers.  For a year now, Landlords have had to pay an additional 3% in stamp duty on any buy to let purchase and over the coming four years, tax rules on landlord’s claiming mortgage interest relief will affect their pocket.  

Neither does it help that the local Authority sold off council houses in the Thatcher years and so for many on low incomes or with little capital, owning a home has simply never been an option (today or in the past).  

A major factor is that there simply isn’t enough houses being built to meet the ever-increasing demand and, without wanting to sound repetitive, it’s simple economics that prices will rise for anything where there is high demand and low supply.

It’s just easier to look at the headlines and blame landlords.

Also, first time buyers have been able to access 95% LTV mortgages since 2010, meaning even today, a first-time buyer could purchase a 2 bed apartment in Bexleyheath for around £240,000 and only need to find £12,000 deposit.  Yes, a lot of money, but first time buyers need to decide what is important to them.  

I think we as a Country have changed ... renting is returning to be the norm.  So my opinion is, landlords have it tough.  Let’s not blame them for the ‘perceived’ woes of the nation ... because to be frank … we haven’t always been a country of homeowners.  Roll the clock back to 1964, and nationally, 30% of people rented their home from a private landlord – today – its only 15.3% nationally.

If you are an existing landlord or someone thinking of become a first-time landlord looking for advice and opinion and what (or what not to buy in Bexleyheath), one source of information is the Bexley Property Blog www.bexleyproperty.co.uk. You can also give us a call or pop into our offices located in the heart of Bexley Village.